Metal-planing machine.



No. 685,348. Patented Oct. 29, l90l. G. BICHABDSr METAL PLANING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1901.) No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet I.

esss: Inventgr w. w m a. BMW. N

Attorney m: NoRms PETERS ca, PHOTO LITNU..W ASN1NGTON. o. c.

(No Model.)

' Patented Oct. 29, l90l. G. RICHARDS.

METAL PLANING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1901.)

4 S'haots-Sheet 2.

N O, R s n i J A s;

J 3 I Q" N A J E m Witnesses: Inventor Y H Mama 5 1W (JU'S'LY/ NAttorney TNE NORRIS PErzRs co, PNOTO'LYTHQ. WASNINGTDN. l1 c1 No.685,348. Patented Oct. 29, 190i.

' G. RICHARDS.

METAL PLANING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

Inventor k W w. M,

Attorney PHOT JTMQ. WASHINGTON o c Patented Oct. 29, I901.

G. RICHARDS. METAL PLANING MACHINE.

(Application and Apr. 22. 1901.}

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No llodol.)

1 i\\&

Inventor Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE RICHARDS, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

METAL-PLANIING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,348, dated October9, 9

application fileii April 221901.

T0 at whom it fluty concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Brussels, Belgium, (post-oflice address Nos.102 and 104: Ruede Louvain, Brussels, Belgiu m,)-have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Metal-Planing Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has been patented or patents applied for in GreatBritain, No. 3,914, dated February 23, 1901.

This invention pertains to improvements in that class of metal-planingmachines known as open-side planers and involving a bed, work-holdingdevices at the side of the'bed, a carriage reciprocating upon the top ofthe bed, a rigid arm carried by the carriage and projecting out over thework-holding devices, and tool-holding appliances carried by andadjustable in and out upon the overhanging projecting arm. The accuracyof the work produced by this class of planers is dependent upon theaccuracy of the sliding motion of the carriage upon the bed. Underworking conditionsa very peculiar set of strains are set up, thetendency of which in ordinary constructions is to interfere withaccuracy of movement or the maintenance of accuracy. My presentinvention is designed to'obviate these defects and also to improve thecarriage-reciprocating mechanism and the carriage-reversing mechanism.

My invention will be readily understood from the following description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a front elevation of a planer of the class specified embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, a plan of the same; Fig. 3, an end elevation of thesame; Fig. 4, an elevation of portions of that face of the carriage andoverhanging arm opposite the face appearing in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, avertical transverse section of the .bed and carriage; and Fig. 6, a Viewsimilar to Fig. 5,.but illustrating a modified construction adapted forlight or small machines.

In the drawings, ignoring Fig. 6 entirely for the present, 1 indicatesthe horizontal bed of the machine; 2, the longitudinally-slotted frontface of the bed; 3, the table-brackets rigidly secured to the slottedface of the bed Serial No. 56,893. (No model.)

" and adjustable along the same; 4, a workholding table firmly securedto each of the brackets 3 and vertically adjustable upon the same; 5, anelevating-screw and accessories carried by each bracket 3 and servingfor the vertical adjustment of the tables thereon, all of the parts thusfar referred to being the same as is usual in this class of planers; 6,a narrow longitudinal guideway disposed at the front of the top of thebed, this guideway, as shown in the drawings, (excluding Fig. 6,) havingthe cross-sectional form of an opentop V; 7, a narrow longitudinalguideway disposed at the extreme rear of the top of the bed, thisguideway having a Hat upper surface; 8, a comparatively narrow stiffcarriage lying upon the bed, across the same, and projecting beyond thefront of the bed, so as to overhang the work-holding tables; 9, a rearunder portion of the carriage, resting upon and sliding upon the flatguideway 7, the longitudinal extent of the bearing of carriage portion 9upon the guideway 7 being comparatively small, owing to the narrownessof the carriage, and this bearing portion having only vertical contactwith the bed, being free from sidewise contacts, so that guideway 7 is aguide for the carriage only as regards vertical restraint; 10, wingsextending from each edge of the carriage along over the guideway 6, theunder portion of these Wings and also the under portion of the carriagein line with them having a crosssectional form accurately fitting theguiding V-surfaces of the guideway 6, the total length from end to endof the two Wings 10 being preferably equal at least to the intendedmaximum travel of the carriage upon the bed; 11, a gib-strip secured tothe lower rear por tion of the carriage and clipping under the rearportion of the bed and serving to restrain or limit the rear portion ofthe carriage against upward motion; 12, the overhanging rail rigidlysupported by the'overhanging portion of the carriage and constitutingthe tool-carrying portion of the travelin g carriage; 13, a gib-stripfirmly-but adj ustably secured upon the front uppersurface of the bedand clipping over an upwardly-projectiug portion of the wings 10 andserving to restrain the front portion of the carriage against upwardmotion or to limit the upward motion; 14:, a rack disposed upon theunder side of the carriage and extending the entire length of the wings10, this rack being disposed between the guideways 6 and 7; 15, a shaftdiagonally housed by the bed below the plane of the carriage; 16, a wormor socalled spiral pinion upon the inner end of shaft 15 and engagingthe teeth of rack 14:; 17, a bevel-gear on the outer portion of shaft15; 18, a driving-shaft mounted at one end of the bed and paralleltherewith, its axial line, if produced inwardly, intersecting the axisof shaft 15; 19, a bevel-pinion on the inner portion of shaft 18 andengaging bevelgear 17; 20, two pairs of tight and loose pulleys on shaft18 to receive motion from open and crossed belts; 21, a belt-shifter ateach of the pairs of pulleys; 22, a longitudinally-sliding camplate foroperating the belt-shifters; 23, a rack extending lengthwise of the bedand sliding in brackets at the rear thereof and connected with cam-plate22, so that reciprocating motion of the rack will result in propershifting of the belts; 21, a cross-shaft journaled on the carriage andextending along the rear of the overhanging rail portion thereof; 25, apinion fast on the rear end of this shaft and having connection withrack 23; 26, a vertical shaft journaled at the outer end oftheoverhanging arm; 2 ,ahand-wheel on the upper end of this vertical shaft;28, bevel-gearing connecting this vertical shaft with cross-shaft 24;29, a disk disposed near the outer end of the overhanging arm at therear of the rail and mounted on a short shaft with its axis parallelwith the bed, this disk being provided on its face with an annularbolt-holding slot; 30, worm-gearing serving to impart motion from shaft24 to disk 29, the proportioning of the gearing between disk 29 and rack23 being such that as the carriage performs its maximum travel along thebed and rack 23 the disk 29 will be given less than a full rotation; 31,a pair of dogs-bolted in the annular slot in the face of disk 29 andangularly adjustable with reference to each other, these dogs beingpreferably provided with knurled bolting devices, so that they may bereadily adjust-able upon the disk; 32, a fixed stop upon the overhangingarm in the path of the dogs; 33, a saddle arranged forsliding motionupon rail 12, this saddle carrying the swing, slide, apron-box, apron,and tool-holder, usual in planing-machines; 3t, a feed-shaft journaledin the overhanging arm and extending from the front end thereof to apoint some distance rearward of the bed; 35, a fixed rack rigidlysupported at the rear of the bed and extending the general lengththereof; 36, a pinion loose on the rear portion of feed-shaft 31 andengaging fixed rack 35; 36, a friction-box of the construction usual inplaner feeding devices, serving to bind pinion 36 frictionally tofeed-shaft 34, so as to tend to impart rotary motion to the feedshaft inone direction or the other, according to the direction of travel of thecarriage with reference to fixed rack 35; 37, a ratchet device, tumbler,&c., at the outer end of feedshaft 3t and serving to transmit properfeeding motion to the feed-screw and down feedrod of the rail, thesefeeding devices, and indeed all of the devices pertaining to the feed,being of a construction not peculiar to the present invention and notclaimed herein, and 38 the feed-screw and down feed-rod of the rail.

The feeding devices are not illustrated or described in detail, becausethe present invention is not concerned with them. It is sufficient tosay that-as the carriage traverses the bed the fixed rack 35 causes thefeedshaft 34 to turn a measured distance in opposite directions at theopposite ends of the stroke of the carriage, which motion of thefeed-shaft is imparted to the feed-screw and down feed-rod of the railor either of them in appropriate direction of transmission of motionthrough the medium of the ratchet and tumbler device 37.

Heretofore in machines of this type the motion has been transmitted tothe carriage and overhanging arm through the medium of a screw journaledin the bed. In the present case the carriage by reason of the wingextensions 10 has a length at least equal to the maxim u m travel of thecarriage,and hence motion may be imparted to the carriage through themedium of a rack. The rack may be actuated through any suitable pinionand driving mechanism; but my preference is to employ the diagonal shaft15 and spiral pinion 16. By reason of the peculiar guiding system,hereinafter more fully explained, the transmission of motion to thecarriage by means of a rack results in a peculiarly efficient operationof the machine, it being understood, however, that the peculiar meritsof the guiding system are largely independent of the mechanism employedfor giving the traveling motion to the carriage.

Referring to Fig. 5, attention is called to the fact that the accurateguiding of the carriage upon the bed and the consequent accuracy of thework produced are due to the guiding contact of long wings 10 with frontguideway 6, the wings having downward contact with the guideway and thecontact being maintained by the gravity of the carriage. Gib-strip 13 ismerely a precautionary device and in practice will 'not have workingcontact with the carriage or wings. The cooperation between parts 9 and7 is for supporting rather than for guiding purposes, and the bearing ofcarriage part 9 upon fiat guideway 7 is made short and free from sidecontacts in order to avoid as far as possible influencing the guideaction of the front guide 6. Clipstrip 11 is a precautionary devicewithout normal working contact with the bed. It will thus be seen thataccuracy of guiding motion is obtained at a single long narrow guidewayas near as practicable to the tool, the length of the bearing of thecarriage in the guideway being greatly in excess of the distance fromthe guideway to the tool even when the tool is at the outer extremity ofthe overhanging arm. By this system of guiding the range of utility ofthis type of planer becomes greatly extended, and a degree of accuracycan be obtained and maintained which has not been heretoforepracticable.

The guiding of the carriage by the com paratively narrow front guidewayis founded largely upon the gravity of the carriage and carriage parts,and it results that in the case of small or light machines the gravityof the carriage and carriage parts may not be sufficient to maintaincontinued proper contact of the guiding parts when taking heavy cuts.Such small or light machines may be provided for by gibbing the carriageto the narrow front guideway, as illustrated in Fig. 6, in which it willbe seen that the narrow front guideway 6 presents a flat top, a flatrear, and an undercut front portion, the carriage and wings having anappropriate cross-sectional form. The rear portion of the wings carriesthe shoe 41, adjusted by the setscrews 42 and engaging the rear portionof the guideway and causing the front portion of the wings where theyengage the undercut portion of the guideway 6 to hold the carriage andwings down properly upon the guideway. By this means, even with thesmall and light machines, there is still retained the system of a singlenarrow front guideway on which the carriage has an extremely longbearing by reason of the wings, the rear portion 9 of the carriage whereit engages the flat support 7 being of such limited longitudinal extentand so free from side contacts as to leave the front guidewayuninfiuenced. In this modification, as illustrated in Fig. 6, thecarriage is shown as being reciprocated by means of the usuallongitudinal screw 39, engaging a nut 40, attached to the carriage. ofcourse be used in either case, and so, also, may the rack system ofdriving be employed in either case.

Regarding the reversing mechanism, the carriage being in motion in agiven direction cross-shaft 2d and disk 29 turn continuously in acorresponding direction, rack 23 being stationary. The motion continuestill one of the dogs 31 makes contact with stop 32,thus arresting themotion of the disk and crossshaft 24, the result being that pinion 25,now held stationary, enforces an endwise movement of rack 23, .thussliding cam-plate 22 and causing the shifting of the belts and theconsequent reversal of the carriage motion. The same action takes placewhen the carriage is moving in the opposite direction, the other dog insuch case coming into action. The length of stroke of the carriage andthe points on the bed at which the reversal shall take place can beadjusted by adjusting the dogs upon the disk. During the movement of thecarriage the hand-wheel 27 is in motion,

and the operator may arrest the motion of The screw may.

this hand-wheel at any time, thus shifting the belts to position ofreversal or to idle position, if he wishes to arrest the motion of thecarriage. The carriage being stationary, the operator may turn thehand-wheel in appropriate direction and shift the belts to cause thecarriage to move in such direction as may be desired.

I claim as my invcntion-- 1. In a planing-machine, the combination,substantially as set forth, of a bed, workholding devices at the sidethereof, a carriage adapted to reciprocate along the top of the bed, anarm upon the carriage overhanging said work-holding devices,tool-holding devices mounted on said arm, a longitudinal guidewaydisposed at the front upper portion of the bed andprovided with upwardlyand laterally presenting guiding-surfaces, a longitudinal guidewaydisposed at the rear upper portion of the bed and provided with anupwardly-presenting surface, wings upon the front portion of saidcarriage engaging said front guideway of the bed, a rear portion of saidcarriage engaging the rear guiding-surface of the bed and having abearing thereon longitudinally less in extent than the bearing at saidwings, and mechanism for reciprocating the carriage upon the bed.

2. In a planing-machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, ofa bed, workholding devices at the side thereof, a carriage adapted toreciprocate along the top of the bed, an arm upon the carriageoverhanging said work-holding devices, tool-holding devices mounted onsaid arm, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the front upper portion ofthe bed and provided with upwardly and laterally presentingguiding-surfaces, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the rear upperportion of the bed and provided with an upwardly-presenting surface,Wings upon the front portion of said carriage engaging said frontguideway of the bed and havingalength equal to the maximum travel of thecarriage upon the bed, a rear portion of said carriage engaging the rearguiding-surface of the bed and having a bearing there-on longitudinallyless in extent than the bearing at said wings, and mechanism forreciprocating the carriage upon the bed.

3. In a planing-machine, the combination, substantially asset forth, ofa bed, workholding devices at the side thereof, a carriage adapted toreciprocate along the top of the bed, an arm upon the carriageoverhanging said work-holding devices, tool-holding devices mounted onsaid arm, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the front upper portion ofthe bed and provided with upwardly and laterally presentingguiding-surfaces, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the rear upperportion of the bed and provided with an upwardly-presenting surface,wings upon the front portion of said carriage engaging said frontguideway of the bed and having a length equal to the maximum travel ofthe carriage upon the bed, a rear portion of said carriage engaging therear guiding-surface of the bed and having a bearing thereonlongitudinally less in extent than the bearing at said wings, alongitudinal rack carried by said Wings, a pinion engaging said rack,and mechanism for imparting motion to said pinion.

4. In a planing-machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, ofa bed, workholding devices at the side thereof, a carriage adapted toreciprocate along the top of the bed, an arm upon the carriageoverhanging said work-holding devices, tool-holding devices mounted onsaid arm, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the front upper portion ofthe bed and having a V-shaped cross-section, a longitudinal guidewaydisposed at the rear upper portion of the bed and having anupwardly-presenting surface, a rear portion of the carriage engagingdownwardly upon said rear guideway free from lateral contacts,

and wings disposed at the front of the earriage and engaging saidV-shaped front guideway and having a length of bearing in said frontguideway greater in extent than the length of bearing of the rearportion of the carriage upon said rear guideway.

5. In a planing-machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, ofa bed, workholding devices at the side thereof, a carriage adapted toreciprocate along the top of the bed, an arm upon the carriageoverhanging said work-holding devices, tool-holding devices mounted onsaid arm, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the front upper portion ofthe bed and provided with upwardly and laterally presentingguiding-surfaces, a longitudinal guideway disposed at the rear upperportion of the bed and provided with an upwardly-presenting surface,wings upon the front portion of said carriage engaging said frontguideway of the bed, a rear portion of said carriage engaging the rearguiding-surface of the bed and having a bearing thereon longitudinallyless in extent than the bearing at said wings, means for restraining theupward motion of said wings relative to said front guideway, andmechanism for reciprocating the carriage upon the bed.

GEORGE RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

O. SAUWEN, \VANDER MEUTER.

